A board-certified plastic surgeon is sounding the alarm on an apparent increase in botched plastic surgery that has left patients “disfigured,” and is warning patients never to let low costs leave them with lifelong regrets.
Dr. Catherine Begovic says that more than half and as many as 60 percent of her recent new patient consults are people hoping to repair the effects of prior bad plastic surgery.
Combining too many surgical procedures at once, rushed work, and a lack of proper care causes most of these disfigurements, Begovic says.
“In most of the cases, the botched surgery is not fixable,” Dr. Cat Begovic shared Friday in a video that has since been viewed 236,000 times.
Those that are fixable require “extensive revision surgery,” and often, more than one corrective surgery.
The surgeon shared examples and images of the disfigurements, while viewers added anecdotes of their own poor experiences and outcomes throughout nearly 200 comments.
The surgeon says the disfigurements include abdominoplasty scars that ride high and are jagged rather than smooth, skin necrosis (death), as well as bumps and deep depressions from poorly-performed liposuction.
In one example shared by the surgeon, a previously botched patient had to undergo two revision surgeries, a tummy tuck, fat grafting and filler.
But, most of the time, the surgeon says, the botched surgery is not fixable.
Viewers shared their own stories, with several suggesting to avoid “cosmetic surgeons” and instead seek a board-certified plastic surgeon.
“Avoid ‘Cosmetic Surgeons’”
NewBeauty magazine flatly suggests that patients “avoid ‘Cosmetic Surgeons,’” and says that a “major red flag is if the doctor belongs to the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery or any board with the word ‘cosmetic’ in it.”
Dr. Begovic isn’t the only one sounding this alarm or one similar to it.
“Many bad tummy tucks are done by U.S. plastic surgeons”
Dr. Rady Rahban, also a board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, says “while we assume or hope that if you spend money and do homework that you’re going to get a great result, the sad truth is that it doesn’t happen.
“And actually, it seems to be—and I may be biased—that it is more shi**y than it is good.”
Dr. Rahban shared this and the top causes of a botched tummy tuck 10 days prior to Dr. Begovic’s related warnings, on his show Plastic Surgery Uncensored.
The episode, Tummy Tucks Gone Bad and Why, with guest Dr. Shirin Towfigh, aired, February 8th.
Dr. Rahban says listeners might assume the flawed tucks were done by “shady or inexperienced doctors,” or in foreign countries, but that that’s not always actually the case.
“Many of these bad tummy tucks are being performed right here in major cities in the United States by plastic surgeons,” he says.
Dr. Rahban’s abdominoplasty work topped a November 2022 list of the top 10 most popular tummy tuck before and afters on RealSelf.com
Surgical Times reached out to Dr. Begovic Friday.